U.S. Department of Labor News

Judge Orders Georgia Vidalia Onion Farmer to Pay $1.4M in Overtime Suit

One of the largest producers of Georgia’s famous Vidalia onions must pay $1.4 million in damages and unpaid overtime owed to hundreds of workers, a federal judge ruled. A U.S. District Court judge found that Bland Farms Production and Packing …

Mass. Behavioral Health Facility Faces $207K in Fines for OSHA Violations

A Massachusetts behavioral health facility faces $207,690 in proposed penalties from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for violations found while conducting a follow-up inspection. On June 29, 2017, OSHA issued UHS of Westwood Pembroke …

Atlantic Drain Cited for 18 Violations in Massachusetts Trench Collapse

Robert Higgins and Kelvin Mattocks died on Oct. 21, 2016, in Boston, Mass., when the approximately 12-foot deep trench in which they were working collapsed, breaking an adjacent fire hydrant supply line and filling the trench with water in a …

Disney to Pay $3.8M in Back Wages to Florida Workers

The Walt Disney Co. has agreed to pay $3.8 million in back wages to Florida workers for violating minimum wage and overtime rules as part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor. The federal agency said Friday that …

Florida Plastic Recycler to Pay $424K in Back Wages to Workers

The U.S. Department of Labor says a Florida plastic recycler will pay $424,537 in back wages to 195 employees for violating overtime and record-keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. In a news release issued Monday, the agency says …

Industry Needs to Address Gaps in Workers’ Compensation, AMCOMP Panelists Say

At the American Society of Workers’ Compensation Professionals (AMCOMP) Fall Meeting held recently in New York, Mark Walls, vice president of communications and strategic analysis at Safety National, and Kimberly George, senior vice president at Sedgwick, discussed a lack of …

Feds go after Silicon Valley Firm over Alleged Hiring Bias

The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit accusing a fast-growing Silicon Valley software company of systematically discriminating against Asian job applicants. Palantir Technologies was co-founded by prominent tech financier Peter Thiel, with backing from an investment arm of …

New Jersey Manufacturer Faces $56K in Fines for 10 Workplace Safety Violations

National Manufacturing Co. Inc. of Chatham, N.J., was cited in July by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for 10 workplace safety violations, amounting to $56,000 in fines. “National Manufacturing Co. put workers in harm’s …

OSHA Launches Expedited Whistleblower Review Pilot in Western Region

The U.S. Department of Labor is launching a pilot process in its Western region called the “Expedited Case Processing Pilot,” which enables a complainant covered by certain statutes to ask the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to cease its investigation …

DOL Sues U.S. Steel Corp. Over Injury Reporting Practices

The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced that it has sued U.S. Steel Corp. for allegedly retaliating against two employees who violated the company’s immediate reporting policy for workplace injuries. The Department of Labor said on Feb. 22 that in …